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PBA: Ildefonso helps Meralco zap Air 21 in OT
Danny Ildefonso snags a rebound in his debut for Meralco. KC Cruz
The Meralco Bolts grounded the Air21 Express in Danny Ildefonso’s debut game, a 92-88 OT thriller, in the PLDT MyDSL 2014 PBA Philippine Cup, Saturday, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Gary David scorched hot with 34 big points, while Danny Ildefonso tallied 14 markers off a 6-of-7 shooting clip with six rebounds, five assists and a steal in 29 minutes of action.
Meralco ended a three-game skid and rose to 4-7, tying Barako Bull and Alaska at sixth place. The Express, 2-9, have yet to win back-to-back games this conference, and are a loss away from bowing out of postseason contention.
The Bolts needed an extra period to dispose of the Express, as KG Canaleta hit a fadeaway triple to send the game to overtime, but the Express failed to sustain their momentum in the final five minutes, giving Meralco the win.
Joseph Yeo and Canaleta nailed back-to-back three-pointers to offset production from David and John Wilson early in the fourth quarter, 65-64, but the Express’ offense sputtered as they began to miss up close. On the other end, Meralco went on a 10-2 run, highlighted by a Wilson triple, 75-66.
The Express rallied back with a 10-4 blast, punctuated by Canaleta treys on consecutive possessions with 41 seconds left, 79-76. After stopping Reynel Hugnatan in the post, Canaleta tried to tie the game from the arc but missed. Joseph Yeo corralled the miss, though, and called for time with 10 seconds left.
Canaleta missed again from deep and the ball eventually fell out of bounds. The possession stayed with Air21 with three seconds left as Express head coach Franz Pumaren called for a break. This time, Canaleta didn't miss, curling down to the left corner for a fadeaway three-pointer to send the game into overtime.
Taulava finally scored on a putback with under half a minute left, but it was too late to come back from the deficit. The Express intentionally sent Ildefonso to the line with 20 seconds left, where he split, 90-86. Air21 turned the ball over once more and then fouled Wilson, allowing him to put the finishing touches on the win.
The Express’ offense all but vanished in the extra period. After Canaleta made three free throws to tie the game, 84-84, with two minutes to play, as the Bolts took over. Meralco scored five straight off attempts inside, as Cliff Hodge, David and Hugnatan contributed to an 89-84 lead with under a minute left.
Air21's Joseph Yeo tries to drive past Gary David. KC Cruz
Taulava finally scored on a putback with under half a minute left, but it was too late to come back from the deficit. The Express intentionally sent Ildefonso to the line with 20 seconds left, where he split, 90-86. Air21 turned the ball over once more and then fouled Wilson, allowing him to put the finishing touches on the win.
Meralco fell in an 11-4 hole during in the first four minutes of the game, but the Bolts found their touch from the outside. Twin triples by Gary David led a stream of shooters from the Bolts during an ensuing 17-4 run. Air21 had just one basket, Asi Taulava’s and-one at 0:53, in the last eight minutes and trailed 21-15 after the first period.
The Bolts widened the lead to double-digits in the second quarter, 29-19, off a Jared Dillinger fastbreak layup. Meralco led by as much as 13 as John Wilson knocked down a trey halfway through the frame, though Mark Cardona immediately answered with his own triple. The basket sparked a 10-3 rally for the Express, bracketed by another Cardona three-pointer to make it a six-point game, 35-29.
With a minute and change to play, Danny Ildefonso knocked one down from the baseline to end the run, helping Meralco end the half with a 38-31 advantage.
David carried the Bolts’ offense in the third quarter with eight of their first 12 points, but the Express were creeping up on their backs. Air21 found buckets inside the paint and rode a red-hot KG Canaleta. The veteran was dropping points from all over the floor, including 14 straight points to catapult his team ahead, 51-50.
In the final minute, Sunday Salvacion resuscitated Meralco’s offense with a three-pointer. The basket proved crucial as the Bolts kept things even after three, 56-56.
Canaleta scored 15 of his team’s 25 third quarter points. - RAF, GMA News
The scores:
Meralco 98 – David 34, Ildefonso 14, Wilson 13, Hugnatan 9, Dillinger 8, Salvacion 5, Guevarra 5, Hodge 4, Timberlake 0, Al-Hussaini 0, Artadi 0
Air21 88 – Canaleta 32, Taulava 15, Yeo 10, Manuel 8, Cardona 7, Sharma 6, Camson 4, Matias 2, Arboleda 2, Ritualo 2, Jaime 0, Menor 0, Custodio 0
Quarter scoring: 21-15, 38-31, 56-56, 79-79, 92-88
